RailShipments

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Rail Shipments of Radioactive Waste from Rocky Flats to Envirocare in Utah: 

Rail Shipments of Radioactive Waste from Rocky Flats to Envirocare in Utah August 2004

Rail Shipments from Rocky Flats to Envirocare: 

Rail Shipments from Rocky Flats to Envirocare Currently, all Rocky Flats waste is transported to offsite disposal sites by truck Waste volumes are expected to significantly increase as demolition of the site accelerates Shipping waste by rail will increase efficiency and safety of waste shipping operations during the final stages of the project

What is the waste material?: 

What is the waste material? Mainly concrete and cinderblock building and foundation rubble containing some structural steel Environmental media (soil) Some remaining D&D waste Vast majority of shipments will be less than 1nCi/g No hazardous constituents Expected quantity to be shipped ~17,500 - 30,000 tons Maximum quantity ~44,000 tons

Example of non-radioactive soil, in this case being used as backfill at 903 pad, representative of the type of environmental remediation waste to be shipped via rail in Lift Liners.: 

Example of non-radioactive soil, in this case being used as backfill at 903 pad, representative of the type of environmental remediation waste to be shipped via rail in Lift Liners.

Example of building rubble that will be loaded into gondola railcars for shipment to Envirocare of Utah. This rubble is from the demolition of a non-radioactive building, and is meant to be representative of what Building 776 rubble will look like.: 

Example of building rubble that will be loaded into gondola railcars for shipment to Envirocare of Utah. This rubble is from the demolition of a non-radioactive building, and is meant to be representative of what Building 776 rubble will look like.

How will waste shipping by rail be accomplished?: 

How will waste shipping by rail be accomplished? Waste will be packaged in a few different configurations “Lift Liner” packages placed into gondola railcars intermodal shipping containers placed onto flat bed railcars Direct placement of debris material into lined gondola cars Gondola railcars will hold ~2,700 ft3 of waste material (90-100 tons per car) Evaluating using gondola railcars that have rigid fiberglass protective covers bolted to the cars Initial shipments 2-5 railcars per week, increasing to 20-40 cars per week during peak production Total number of railcars ~300-500

Example of lift liner filled with environmental restoration media being loaded into a lined gondola rail car. The Lift Liner is a DOT rated package for shipping radioactive material.: 

Example of lift liner filled with environmental restoration media being loaded into a lined gondola rail car. The Lift Liner is a DOT rated package for shipping radioactive material.

Display of lift liners as loaded into a gondola rail car: 

Display of lift liners as loaded into a gondola rail car

How will waste shipping by rail be accomplished?: 

How will waste shipping by rail be accomplished?

Example of lidded gondola style rail car to be used for loading Building 776 demolition debris.: 

Example of lidded gondola style rail car to be used for loading Building 776 demolition debris.

How will the railcars be assembled?: 

How will the railcars be assembled? RFCP would like to use “Unit Trains” (a train that is assembled having only one customer for all the cars in the train) Some shipments will be sent on a “Manifest” basis Cars are picked up by the railroad and combined with other railcars Union Pacific will assemble trains using its rail yard north of Denver Some siding along the route from Rocky Flats to Denver may be used as a temporary staging area for convenience of assembling the cars into trains

What routes will the trains take?: 

What routes will the trains take? All trains will travel north from Denver to Cheyenne and then across southern Wyoming to Clive, UT Rail routes are well established and are being used for radioactive waste shipments from other DOE and commercial sites No rail shipments will be allowed to cross steep mountain passes

What is the schedule?: 

What is the schedule? Initial shipments will commence in August 2004 Shipping volumes will increase ~ January 2005 Shipping will be complete ~ July 2005

What are the benefits of using rail?: 

What are the benefits of using rail? Rail shipping is much more efficient for handling large quantities of bulk material Worker safety is significantly improved Waste can be loaded into railcars much faster, reducing the time that waste piles are exposed to the environment One gondola car contains the equivalent of 5-7 trucks Rail shipping of the maximum quantity will take as many as 5,000 trucks off the road Rail shipping is more cost-effective than truck shipping Nearly half the cost, resulting in a projected savings of $7M-$16M over the cost of truck shipping

What happens if there is an accident?: 

What happens if there is an accident? Coordination among DOE, Department of Transportation, CDPHE and Western Governors’ Association Railroad Company notification to DOE, state, and local governments in the event of an accident DOE will provide technical support as needed Materials being transported are extremely low in hazard Low-level waste (less than 1nCi/g) No hazardous chemicals Any waste material that escapes from a derailed car can be easily identified, contained and cleaned up No liquids or gasses will be transported by rail; only steel, concrete and environmental media (soil) “Regulated” shipments will contain proper marking, labeling and placarding to identify the potential hazard to first responders

Why rail shipments make sense?: 

Why rail shipments make sense? Larger volumes of slightly contaminated wastes, primarily soils and building rubble are being generated at an increasing rate as demolition activities increase Increases worker safety and efficiency of waste shipping operations Protective of public health and the environment Shipping by rail to Envirocare increases the efficiency and safety of the waste shipping operations This waste is more amenable to shipping in a heavy-duty railcar vs a lighter gauge cargo container As buildings onsite are being removed and waste sites cleaned up, there is more room to build a rail spur to the building demolition site Rail shipping is expected to save $7M-$16M

How will waste shipping by rail be accomplished?: 

How will waste shipping by rail be accomplished?